WASHINGTON (AP) — Military leaders were scrambling Thursday to devise a swift but safe departure of troops from Syria, as outraged lawmakers appealed to President Donald Trump to reverse an a…
By ROBERT BURNS and LOLITA BALDOR
WASHINGTON (AP) — Military leaders were scrambling Thursday to devise a swift but safe departure of troops from Syria, as outraged lawmakers appealed to President Donald Trump to reverse an abrupt withdrawal order that rattled Washington’s allies and was a key factor in the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis later in the day.
Defense officials said U. S. airstrikes would continue until all the approximately 2,000 U. S. troops are out of Syria, but it was unclear whether the air campaign would then end. Officials said it might depend on whether France and other coalition partners keep ground troops in Syria after the Americans leave. A continued presence of allied troops working with local Syrians might compel the U. S. to contribute air cover.
The Pentagon, roiled first by the surprise withdrawal order from Trump and then the abrupt resignation of Mattis, offered no information about how the withdrawal will happen or how long it will take, apparently because they don’t know.
Two officials speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning said Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U. S. Central Command, will submit a comprehensive withdrawal plan to top Pentagon officials in coming days.
One official said military commanders are concerned that the pullout will leave their Syrian Kurdish allies in the lurch.
Turkey, which considers the Kurds a security threat, has said it intends to send its army into Syria to clear them out. Until now, Turkey had to consider the presence of U. S. troops; once they are gone, a bloody clash seems inevitable.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S. C., said on Thursday that Mattis had told him he is worried about the Kurds and this is not the right time to leave.
“I won’t get into conversations between Mattis and the president, but I will tell you what he told me: He thought that the time was not right to leave,” Graham said at a Capitol Hill news conference.
